Michigan baseball finishes 4-0 at Puerto Rico challenge, beats No. 2 Virginia

Michigan baseball is 4-0 to begin a season for the first time since 2019, the same year it came one win away from a national championship. The 2025 season began in Ponce, Puerto Rico, at the Puerto Rico challenge over the weekend. The Wolverines outscored their opponents 35-7 on the trip.

Michigan baseball knocks off No. 2 Virginia in undefeated weekend

The Wolverines sparked their successful trip to Puerto Rico with an upset victory (5-4) over No. 2 Virginia in extra innings. Michigan catcher Matt Spear brought in infielder Mitch Voit from first base in the bottom of the 11th inning to win it. Spear also hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to give his team a 4-2 lead, but the Cavaliers tied it up with a two-run homer of their own in the seventh. Spear ended 3-for-5 with 3 RBI.

New: Michigan men’s basketball leaps up to No. 12 in AP poll

Starting pitcher Kurt Barr pitched five innings with eight strikeouts and no earned runs in game two against Rice. The Owls got out to a 1-0 lead in the first after an error, wild pitch and single allowed a run to score. They got another run across in the eighth before the Wolverines rallied for five runs in the bottom of the frame, ultimately ending with a 5-2 victory.

Villanova never stood a chance against the maize and blue. Michigan was up 5-0 at the end of two innings, and by the time the fourth frame was over it led 9-0. As a team it allowed just five hits and three walks while striking out nine batters. Offensively the Wolverines accumulated 24 hits en route to their 19-0 win, and the score could’ve been much worse if they didn’t leave 11 runners on base.

To end the weekend Michigan took down Stetson 6-1 behind another stellar pitching performance. Starter Gavin Devooght gave the Wolverines five scoreless innings and allowed four hits compared to seven strikeouts. In the batter’s box Michigan hit three home runs: a three-run shot from third baseman Cole Caruso, and two solo homers from DH Cade Ladehoff and Voit.

The Wolverines are still unranked, but they likely put themselves on the radar around the country. They’re back in the United States this weekend and are set to compete in the College Baseball Series in Arlington, Texas, beginning with a tilt against No. 22 TCU on Feb. 21.

More: Dusty May on finding ways to win amid team’s shooting struggles

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms